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China's space programme

China's space programme
The China National Space Administration was founded more than 25 years ago and is overseeing an ambitious programme which includes deep space exploration, a manned space station, and cutting-edge advancements in technology, new materials, robotics and artificial intelligence.
China’s Tianwen-2 probe, atop a Long March-3B carrier rocket, lifts off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southwest China’s Sichuan province, in 2025. Photo: Xinhua
US-China tech war

Letters | As the US-China space race heats up, watch out for patent law

Readers discuss patent law in the US and China amid technological rivalry, and why Beijing might decide not to play by the West’s rules.

Science

Mars shelter problem can be solved with engineered yeast: paper

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Hong Kong science and tech

China’s Tiangong space station camera captures its first images of Hong Kong

China's military weapons

Can China’s new satellite coordination standards speed up PLA targeting?

Beijing panel of experts approves work on 10 proposals to support civilian and commercial low-Earth-orbit constellations.

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Chinese researchers say the standards seek to help different types of satellites work together more effectively in large, complex constellations. Photo: Shutterstock
2026 Xi-Trump summits

China reveals plan to map the entire surface of Mars by 2028 amid race with US

It will be the first AI-driven geological map of the planet and aims to be the global standard, chief scientist on Tianwen-3 mission says.

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong astronaut Lai Ka-ying sends Mid-Autumn Festival wishes to residents

In Mandarin speech recorded aboard China’s Tiangong space station, city’s first astronaut thanks well-wishers and expresses longing and affection for home.

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Science

China gets closer to Jupiter mission by bringing Nasa’s StarNAV concept to life

The tech uses subtle shifts in starlight to track speed and position, allowing spacecraft to navigate deep space alone.

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Jupiter can be up to 900 million km from Earth, with radio signals taking more than 50 minutes to travel one way. Photo: Nasa/STSCI
US-China tech war

In Focus | China’s rocket recovery was a space race milestone. Is a relaunch within reach?

SpaceX might have a head start in reusable rockets, but Chinese commercial space companies are exploring ways to catch up in the cost-saving tech.

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Hainan

In Focus | How China is turning Hainan from a tourist island into a major aerospace hub

Factories, supercomputing centres and satellite businesses are springing up in the province as officials push to build a fully fledged aerospace ecosystem.

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United States

US has weapons deployed in orbit, Space Force says

US acknowledges offensive and defensive capabilities against potential ‘hostile adversary action’.

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The US Space Command Joint Operations Centre at Peterson Space Force Base in Colorado. Photo: US Space Command via Reuters
Space

Editorial | Hong Kong astronaut can help propel the city’s science and tech ambitions

Lai Ka-ying’s achievement should serve as the launch pad of a sustained push that makes science and innovation the new engine of the city’s development.

Students of Scientia Secondary School watch a live lecture by astronaut Lai Ka-ying from space on September 9. Photo: Sam Tsang
Hong Kong society

‘Keep pushing, never fear hardships,’ Hong Kong’s first astronaut tells students

Students ask about AI, robots and animal tests in space as Lai Ka-ying, and crewmates Zhu Yangzhu and Zhang Zhiyuan take part in ‘Tiangong Class’.

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Hong Kong society

Hong Kong’s first astronaut to give live space lecture to students on Wednesday

Lai Ka-ying will take part in ‘Tiangong Class’, which will feature expert lecture, in-orbit demonstrations and question-and-answer session.

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China’s private sector

Can China catch SpaceX? New commercial reusable rocket takes to the skies

The orbital mission marks a key milestone for Beijing’s commercial launch sector.

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Chinese rocket maker Galactic Energy has successfully sent its Pallas-1 medium-to-large reusable rocket into orbit. Photo: Weibo
Aerospace: Industry Trends

As China-US space race heats up, Shanghai unveils space-computing hub

Songjiang is already a vital link in China’s satellite supply chain as home to SpaceSail, the low-Earth-orbit challenger to SpaceX’s Starlink.

The SpaceSail booth at an exhibition in Shanghai, on June 24, 2026. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Hong Kong economy

Opinion | Chinese reusable rocket’s success unlocks opportunities for Hong Kong

Flurry of commercial activity offers opportunities for Hong Kong’s financial markets, research universities and the Northern Metropolis.

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United States

Trump orders creation of US ‘Space Academy’, amid rivalry with China

The institution, which will train civilian and military recruits, will be modelled on the famous military school at West Point.

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China’s private sector

China’s commercial space sector expands global footprint with Thailand deal

GalaxySpace describes mission as first turnkey satellite export to a Southeast Asian customer by a Chinese commercial space company.

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A Long March-6C carrier rocket carrying seven satellites blasts off from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre in Shanxi province on Tuesday. Photo: Xinhua
Space

Moon mission delay a hiccup, but there’s no stopping Chinese rocket city’s rise

Rocket launches transform Wenchang from a farming community to a booming space city, drawing tourists and skilled workers in droves.

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LandSpace

Meet Dai Zheng, the space veteran betting on China’s reusable rocket revolution

LandSpace’s rocket booster recovery has supercharged the country’s commercial space ambitions – and validated a former state engineer’s start-up gamble.

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US-China relations

Opinion | China’s view of Trump’s America has changed from alarm to a shrug

Erratic and transactional, the US leader’s approach exposes domestic governance flaws and the limits of Washington’s containment strategy.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Hong Kong science and tech

Hong Kong-built greenhouse gas tracker device ‘functioning well’ on space station

Tech minister Sun Dong says Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory has ‘successfully captured images with good clarity’.

The Multi‑Spectral Imaging Carbon Observatory, developed by HKUST and funded by the city government, has been deployed to China’s Tiangong space station. Photo: Handout
China’s private sector

China clears Geely for landmark satellite test to spur commercial space drive

Geespace secures a two-year satellite IoT trial from MIIT, the first approval for a private Chinese firm.

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SpaceX

Editorial | As the space race heats up, China’s momentum is undeniable

LandSpace’s successful recovery of the first stage of its Zhuque-3 rocket is a milestone that underlines China’s aerospace ambitions.

US-China tech war

SpaceSail’s record funding fuels China’s satellite challenge to Musk’s Starlink

Company pairs landmark capital with rapid satellite deployment and overseas expansion as China’s private aerospace sector breaks new ground.

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SpaceSail operates China’s Qianfan constellation. Photo: Handout
Science

China joins Musk’s SpaceX with reusable rocket breakthroughs

LandSpace’s success in landing a rocket, following CASC’s achievement last month, may help launch space missions more cheaply and more frequently.

LandSpace’s Zhuque-3 rocket takes off. Photo: CNS Photo via Reuters
Science

China becomes first to recover orbital launch rockets with 2 distinct paths

Zhuque-3 reaches orbit and has its first stage recovered, pulling off a dual-track strategy even the US has yet to execute.

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Mainland China

Opinion | Where does China’s fourth rocket failure in 2026 leave its busy space schedule?

Does Beijing have time to fully investigate the year’s fourth rocket failure or will launch schedules force rapid returns to service?

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